Face Care in Tropical Climates

Face care and travel? What? Hey, this is a blog for ladies so of course face care is relevant!

Women who have recently moved to Tropical climates will find it a shock when their perfect skin is suddenly riddled with blemishes they can’t get rid of. Their favourite skin care products suddenly become partly to blame, much to their dismay.

I grew up in the Tropics and as a teenager had no one to give me good advice on skin care so I used to wash my face incessantly with Sapoderm soap thinking that removing the oil was a good idea – these were the days before the internet so I had no idea who to turn to.

I moved back home a year ago and now finally, at 27 years of age, I think I have become an expert at managing combination skin in tropical weather.

Here is my weekly skin care regime for humid climates:

Exfoliate once or twice per week with a mini face loofa and any gentle exfoliating scrub. Being a tomboy, I only learnt about exfoliation when I was 25! A gay guy working in the Body Shop gave me a lecture for being so clueless! I was so embarrassed, but now I am so grateful he made me change my terrible ways! Exfoliation is your best friend. I like to use the loofa with antibacterial Sapoderm soap, because then you’re removing the dead skin and deep cleansing at the same time.

Do your own facemask once a week. Or even do a few different masks on the same day. Different masks do different things, so experiment a bit. Masks are not only good for your face, but they’re a nice way to pamper yourself, which is extremely important for feeling relaxed and happy about yourself wherever you are in the world. Even on the move you can do a quick face pack.

Mornings:

·      Rinse my skin with a deep cleanser such as Clinique foam cleanser or Liquid facial soap oily skin formula to really clear your pores. Alternatively, cleansing oils also do the same thing and are very effective. Try Clarin’s Total Cleansing Oil. If you told me oil was good to put on your face when I was 13 I would never have believed you, but these products are amazing at balancing the moisture in your skin so your skin stops producing the excess oil that produces blemishes.

·      Straight after, rinse your face with a gentle cleansing milk like Yoghurt of Bulgaria’s. (This step probably isn’t necessary if you used the cleansing oil.)  

·      Dry your skin.

·      With a cotton pad apply Bulgarian pure rosewater as a toner. If you can get hold of this stuff or something similar do it! It is total heaven – it makes your skin feel magic, it smells lovely and is totally natural. It is the gentlest toner and gentle is better because it doesn’t agitate your skin to produce more oils. (The key is to use a toner that is alcohol free.)

·      Apply a very small amount of a good quality moisturiser and eye cream and rub in well.

Afternoons:

·      Give your face a quick rinse with the cleansing milk when you get home just to remove any oil or dirt.

Evenings:

·      Repeat your morning program, but apply night moisturiser instead of your spf day time brand.

Some other tips I have both for the tropics and elsewhere:

·      Carry around with you every where you go the Body Shop’s handy little Blotting Tissues! These things are one of my best kept secrets, especially as someone with combination skin – when ever there is excess sebum on my face i.e. I start looking shiny, I take out a blotting tissue and dab off the excess oil. It stops me from touching my face, which is one of the worst things you can do for oily, pimply, combination skin.

·      Mix your moisturiser and your foundation together before applying your foundation to get a more natural look – read this somewhere and it really gives a nicer finish.

·      Don’t apply makeup everyday if you can avoid it, especially foundation. Your skin is much happier if you let if breath more often.

·      DO wear spf (sunscreen) moisturiser and/or foundations every day of your life. Look after your kids’ too and make sure you set an example and make the whole family wear hats, sunscreen and sunglasses everyday in the sun. Maybe you can’t see the rewards now, but in a few years time you will start to notice the different signs of aging between you and your peers. My parents were extremely strict on us growing up in the tropics and now that I’m 27 people who meet me for the first time often think I am only 21 because I look so young. Maybe occasionally I feel embarrassed if I’m the only one on the beach wearing a wide brimmed hat and a long shirt, but aging gracefully is the biggest reward. Especially pay attention to your face, neck, chest and shoulders as they are the most visible places for sun damage. If avoiding skin cancer won’t motivate you, hopefully the idea of being beautiful for longer will when you think about sun care.